“Our intention is to trim them for safe and reliable electrical service,” said Stephen Dahl, a representative from the utility company's forestry department during the special meeting with the borough's Shade Tree Commission.

Borough officials were concerned after they were contacted by one of PPL's contractors last week, who suggested outright removal of certain trees throughout the borough to prevent them from interfering with electrical lines.

That individual was with Asplundh Tree Expert Company, an Allentown-based vegetation management agency whom PPL contracts with to maintain the trees near its power lines.

The contractor “has been corrected,” Dahl said during Thursday's meeting.

During that initial phone call, it was suggested to borough officials that trees in the borough's historic hill district, particularly those on the south side of Thomas Street, might be candidates for removal.

According to standards set by the Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission, PPL must maintain vegetation around its power lines every five years, Dahl said.

Before any work is done in Stroudsburg Borough, Dahl promised to do a “drive through” with Stroudsburg Borough Arborist and Department of Public Works Director Brian Bond.

A list of all trees in need of trimming and those that might possibly need to be removed will be presented to the borough's Shade Tree Commission for approval.

Because of major storms in recent years, including October's Hurricane Sandy, PPL has started paying more attention to its tree management practices.

“In the wake of Sandy, the vast majority of outages were caused by trees,” Dahl said.

For more on this story, check back at PoconoRecord.com and read Friday's Pocono Record.

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